Wi-Fi upgrade is all about speed
By Craig Crossman
Knight Ridder News Service
I hate wires, and anything that helps to eliminate them is OK in my book. I'm also convinced that wires will never be totally replaced. Just as the promise of the paperless office was never fully realized, the wireless office will most likely always have a wire or two lurking somewhere. But as wireless standards such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi continue to improve and permeate our environment, the rats' nest behind your desk will become a lot more manageable.
The Wi-Fi standard has recently been improved from 802.11b to 802.11g. The most notable difference between these two versions is speed. The 802.11g standard is about five times faster yet maintains its compatibility with the older 802.11b protocol. So if you're ready to go wireless today, make sure you invest in products that support 802.11g.
With that in mind, Microsoft (www.microsoft.com/broadbandnetworking) has just introduced a whole new line of 802.11g wireless hardware devices you should check out if you have been thinking about going wireless in your home. The core of the line is the Wireless Base Station MN-700 ($109). The device includes a four-point Ethernet switch.
Many portable computers already have 802.11b built in but if you want to take advantage of 802.11g's faster speed, Microsoft makes the wireless Notebook Adapter MN-720 ($84.95). The tiny card slips into your notebook's PCMCIA slot. And if you want to add 802.11g to your desktop PC, just pop it open and install the Wireless-PCI Adapter MN-730 card ($84.95).
While all of this faster networking is now available for your computers, Microsoft didn't forget that fast networking isn't all work. They've also introduced the Xbox Wireless Adapter MN-740 ($139) with the faster 802.11g. Just plug it into the Ethernet port on the back of your Xbox.
Since I'm on the subject of wireless communications, GN Netcom (www.gnnetcom.com) has introduced a wireless headset for your telephone. The model I tried is very slick. The GN 9120 ($349) is a tiny wireless device that connects to a variety of telephones. The stylish small silver box plugs into your telephone and communicates to the wireless headset that weighs about an ounce. Using the popular 2.4 GHz frequency used by many cordless telephones, the device lets you walk around up to 300 feet away from your telephone.
The headset's earpiece rests on your ear while the pickup microphone extends to your cheek. Or you can choose a sound-tube or flex-boom microphone style headset in which the microphone is positioned in front of your mouth. All the headsets are cordless and offer excellent sound and noise-canceling isolation capabilities. Place the headset on the box and it recharges to provide up to eight hours of talk time. The device provides 64-bit encryption and its Smart Power Management reduces the range of transmission to provide additional security.
